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NCT / Manistee River Trail Loop
I just hiked the NCT / Manistee River Trail loop. It is one of the most popular backpacking trips in MI. If you go on a weekend with perfect weather in peak color season (as I did), you will not be alone. I think every backpacker and day hiker in MI was there.
I started at Red Bridge at the southern end of the loop. The are parking areas on both sides of the river (south side of road). No permits are required and there are no fees if you park here. It's a 20.2 mile loop - about 10 miles up one side of the river and 10 miles back down the other side. I hiked the loop clockwise, up the short connecting trail to the NCT on the west side. The NCT follows a ridge in the trees so there are not many views and there are some ups and downs. But it is a very pleasant hike. There are no water on this section until you get to Eddington Creek just before the turn on to the MRT connector (pic 1) that takes you down to your first river view (pic 2). Soon you cross the pedestrian suspension bridge (pic 3) and hike down the other side. The river trail closely follows the river for 10 miles so there are numerous viewpoints where you can see the river and the ridge you hiked on the NCT earlier that day (pic 4). You are usually on a bluff above the river, but there are many water sources as you cross creeks and streams feeding into the river, including some small "waterfalls" (pic 5). There are also many downs and ups as you drop in and out of each drainage, but not big climbs. At large camping is allowed all along both sides. The MRT also has many designated campsites, most with views of the river. Some are shown on the on-line map, but at the trail heads there are maps that show the location of many more (I have not found an on-line version of this map). There are also many unofficial camp sites evident. I hiked about 17 miles the first day, camping on a bluff above the river (pic 6). The views on the short hike the following morning were especially good with the sun rising behind me (pic 7, 8).
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NCT-MRT Loop overnight trip report
On Tuesday morning (09/15/2020), I arrived at the Red Bridge trailhead Attachment 46769 on the Manistee River in Michigan. It is a paved parking lot for not only hikers but canoeist as well. There are also restrooms and supposedly, drinking water available but I did not look for it.
I headed out around 9 am for a 2 day, approximately 20-mile loop. The first section had me crossing the road and headed west to the connecting trail taking me to the NCT. Attachment 46770 The final climb up to the actual NCT trail reminded me of some of the climbs I have experienced on the Appalachian Trail in the Shenandoah National Park. Not as long by any stretch, but steep enough to make me strip some layers off at the top.
My plan was to hike the 8 miles to Eddington Creek for lunch. The walk was along nice, hard packed sand with mostly single track trail. Attachment 46771 It was a nice walk in the woods with ups and downs but nothing too steep. The ground cover was mostly low growing with brown, shriveled ferns Attachment 46772 being the tallest. Even though the walk is mostly along the side of hills, the trees blocked most views looking east. With the leaves still not having turned from green to yellows/reds, you could not see much. Those looking for views should wait until the leaves are gone. This was just a walk in the woods, which I enjoyed.
Once I arrived at Eddington Creek, Attachment 46773 I sat down to have lunch. Shortly after I arrived, a mom and her young son (maybe 4 or 5) showed up. They had their great dane off leash and let him run free in the creek. I decided since I still had half of my second water bottle full, that I would move on and refill on the other side of the river.
Walking through some thick cover, I finally saw the towers of the suspension bridge. Attachment 46784 It was a nice experience to be able to cross over to the east side of the river on the bridge. Attachment 46774 Views in both directions from the middle of the bridge were worth the walk. Attachment 46775Attachment 46776
At about 2:30, I arrived at campsite 1C. I picked it because of the short, almost level walk to the water. After setting up my hammock and tarp, I was able to spend some time soaking my feet in the cold clear water. Boy, was that nice! Attachment 46777
All of my recent backpacking experience has been along the Appalachian Trail in Northern Virginia. Having this campsite, that would easily fit ten tents with no crowding, made me feel guilty for having it all to myself. I was able to set up under a grove of cedar trees to provide some shelter in case of inclement weather and wind. There were multiple sites for hanging my food bag well away from the fire pit and hammock. The site was almost completely free of debris (except for one cap from a propane tank) including rocks, branches, etc. Overall, a really nice site.
The next morning, I was out of camp around 8:30. No way can I seem to get moving early! This day brought flat walks along the bluffs overlooking the river. Attachment 46778Attachment 46779Attachment 46780 The views were definitely worth the hike. The only concerns I had were with the erosion. Some of the trail had eroded due to the hillside sliding down into the river. This area is mostly sand. You can see some trees that have uprooted and slid down the hill. Attachment 46781Attachment 46782 People have created bypasses around some of them. On the middle portion of this section, parts of the trail goes down some steep sections that have been badly eroded. Only the roots of trees were keeping the dirt in place. One section had maybe an 8-inch diameter hole through to running water under the ground. This stuff was definitely not manmade erosion. I do not know how the Forest Service would remedy it. Since it is natural, maybe they should not.
The last section took me through some swampland with sections of boardwalk. Attachment 46783 One ten foot stretch was under a couple of inches of stagnant water.
Once I could hear car traffic, I knew I was getting near to the end. To my surprise, I walked up a small hill and popped out next to the guard rail. A short walk along the guard rail and another across the bridge and I was back to the parking lot. It was about noon when I shut off my Garmin.
Overall, I really enjoyed this trip. I saw two kayakers, no one on the river, and maybe 2 dozen people on the trail. Most people were backpacking, but a few were just enjoying a day hike. I do have to mention that I saw a woman with the largest coffee pot that I have ever seen strapped to the top of her pack. It reminded me of the percolator that my folks used when I was young. She must really like her coffee!
The trail was extremely clean. I only saw the one plastic cap, a Band-Aid and a shoe with sock for both days. Yes, I did pack out the cap and no I do not touch medical waste. The shoe looked to be someone’s camp shoe so I left it in the middle of the trail figuring they would be looking for it.
If I get the opportunity, I would definitely do this trip again. The only change would be to wait until later in the fall or before the leaves come out in the spring.
Edit: If anyone can tell me how to make the pictures appear correct in the post, let me know! If you click on them, they show up correct!
